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Writing a biography. You are going to Talk about famous people Read and listen for information about two celebritiesCompare and contrast them Write a biography of someone famous Note; This post was updated 30/12/2011 due to the Shakira biography clip being removed from Youtube. I replaced it with another clip and altered the comprehension questions. 1) Discuss Look at these people. Do you know who they are? What are they famous for? Highlight here for answers; Leo Di Caprio, Bob Marley, Martin Luther king, The Beatles, David Beckham Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, Shakira, Elvis Presley, Beyonce 2) Read and watchClip 1 You are going to watch a clip about ShakiraWhat do you know about Shakira?

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born February 2, 1977), known professionally as Shakira is a Colombian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, and philanthropist who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s. Answer these questions; What was her dream when she was growing up? Clip 2 Text. The English Doctor is Available. So you want to teach academic English? Here's how... English for academic purposes, or EAP, isn’t rocket science, but it can be an intimidating prospect for teachers who haven’t done it before. Anyone who has the skills to teach English can do it, it just requires a particular focus when it comes to what skills you aim to develop and what language you should be focusing on.

This post isn’t a guide to everything you need to know: please consider it merely as an introductory overview. It is, nonetheless, a starting point that you can use to examine any EAP program, with an eye to judging if it is on the right track or not. Look at what I write here, look at the EAP program you’re involved with and… ask questions if you don’t see these things being done!

Where is your course heading? What are your exit levels? Students at this level have sufficient language to be able to understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including discussions in his/her fields of academic study. Key questions to ask at this point. Zeitguests: Lindsay Clandfield and Luke Meddings discuss 'the round' Your ads will be inserted here by Easy AdSense. Please go to the plugin admin page toPaste your ad code OR Suppress this ad slot ORSuppress Placement Boxes. I’m delighted that Lindsay Clandfield and Luke Meddings have taken the time to answer a few of my questions for their brand new publishing project. As Luke and Lindsay are two of the most innovative and forward thinking people in the ELT profession, it’s no surprise that they have come up with a new model for publishing: the round. Here’s what they had to say about it… You are both published authors. With regard to traditional publishers, was there a ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ moment or is this just something that you’ve wanted to do for a while?

Lindsay: Actually, I had been pretty lucky in my last project with a major publisher. What are you looking for in a project? Luke: The spark of originality is certainly a very important factor. Will you be encouraging first time authors? Lindsay: Of course! Zeitguest: The Merits of Social Media and Modern Modes of Communication in Education by Maria Rainier. Your ads will be inserted here by Easy AdSense. Please go to the plugin admin page toPaste your ad code OR Suppress this ad slot ORSuppress Placement Boxes. Maria Rainier thankfully eases my blogging load with a guest post in which she shares her thoughts on the place of social media in education. Since social media and modern forms of communication first made their way into the mainstream, their influence on society and youth culture have been under constant debate. There are numerous voices coming from both sides of the debate. Resistance to new innovations and technologies is a long standing tradition in any society.

One of the most fundamental and obvious advantages modern modes of communication have for our students lives is that they intrinsically encourages reading and written communication. Author Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. Zeitguest: ‘Keeping Students On Task Online’ by Marina Salsbury. Your ads will be inserted here by Easy AdSense. Please go to the plugin admin page toPaste your ad code OR Suppress this ad slot ORSuppress Placement Boxes. Here is another fantastic guest post from Marina Salsbury, her second for my blog,in which she investigates how to effectively use online tasks. More schools and teachers are recognizing the Internet and other new technologies are wonderful educational resources and using them increasingly in classrooms from PhD programs to elementary schools, and of course this is true in ELT programs as much as anywhere. Unfortunately, along with the great resources available online there is also a lot of unreliable information and distractions.

Teachers are faced with the challenge of allowing students to use these great tools while making sure they stay on task. Software Teacher Training Teachers must be trained to employ web-based tools and resources in the classroom and how to properly guide students in using them appropriately. Planning. 15 great ice-breaker ideas and downloable worksheets. Teach them English Adam Simpson's blog Skip to content ← 30 free resources for lessons about personality and feelings 15 free resources for teaching classroom language → 15 great ice-breaker ideas and downloadable worksheets Posted on September 18, 2013 by Adam Ice-breakers are an essential part of any class, so having a bank of ideas to pick from is always a good idea.

Conversation exercises and questions for one-to-one introductions Introductory icebreakers primarily for group interaction Icebreakers from here on my blog! Don't miss any of my posts! You might also like: My 5 favourite ice breaker activities 15 free resources for teaching classroom language 5 great ice-breakers in five days: #4 Brain Gym Master Class Linkwithin This entry was posted in Teaching ideas and tagged downloadable icebreakers and ideas for icebreaker activities. 4 Responses to 15 great ice-breaker ideas and downloadable worksheets Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Teach them English. 5 great ice-breakers in 5 days: #1 Where in the World… Welcome back to my blog!

Sorry that I appear to have been absent for most of this month, but believe me, I’ve been very busy elsewhere. As well as presenting at the upcoming ISTEK International ELT Conference, I’m delighted to also be part of the social media team, promoting and sharing the whole conference experience with the wider world. This has meant me dealing with almost thirty pre-event interviews with speakers for the conference blog, which has obviously taken up a lot of my blogging time over the past week or so (please have a look at the fruit of my labors here). Anyway, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to refocus on my own blog, and what better way to get back in the saddle than with a blog challenge. Where in the World? In the 21st Century the world is becoming a smaller place, but there are still some mysteries. What you need… A world/country map or globe might help, but you can manage without.

How to… Tip… Model the activity yourself so they have an example. Energize… 5 great ice-breakers in five days: #2 Idea Sprint… Welcome to part two of my Tyson Seburn-inspired five-day Blogathon. For more detail, please visit yesterday’s post. The idea sprint The Idea Sprint is a fantastic way to either review topics you’ve already covered, or brainstorm what learners already know. Also, it offers some energizing fun in the process. What you need… You need something learners can write on. How to… Divide the class into teams.Give them a topic.They will have 30 seconds (or more) to brainstorm and list as many ideas as they can.Remind them they cannot speak.Each student must write ideas on the board.The team with the most ideas after the given time wins.Get the winning team to present their ideas.Ask remaining teams to add extra ideas and/or correct any mistakes the winning team made.

Tips… Write an example on the board to show what you’re looking for.Try to plan the activity so the ideas they came up with lead in to the main part of the lesson. Energize… Learners are up and moving around, so this is a natural energizer. 5 great ice-breakers in five days: #3 Picture Scavenger Hunt. Number three in my quest to complete five blog posts in five days (day one here and day two here)… Picture Scavenger Hunt Pictures are worth a thousand words and nearly everyone carries a photo of somebody or something with them. When you have a new class, you can use these photos for a scavenger hunt! What you need… You need to prepare a scavenger hunt lists, which you should make in advance. Family portraitView of home townChild laughing/cryingBaby’s first photoFamily petTwinsBride and groomGrandparentsBoyfriend/Girlfriend How to… Distribute your scavenger lists.Give the class a specific time frame to find someone who has one of the photos, e.g. 30 minutes.Persuade them to find a new person for each item.

Tips… It may be impossible to finish the list, so set a realistic goal (find seven out of ten). Energize… This is a natural energizer that has people moving around constantly. Possible follow ups… Your part… How would you adapt this? In case you’re wondering, this is why I’m doing this! 5 great ice-breakers in five days: #4 Brain Gym Master Class. Number four in my quest to complete five blog posts in five days (day one here, day two here and day three here)… Brain Gym Master Class Sometimes the brain needs a bit of physical activity to get it going at the start of class.

Brain gym is the art of stimulating mental activity through bodily movement. Here are four quick, fun activities to help you… 1. Hat Juggling Get students to use their hats, gloves or scarves to juggle. This gets your class standing up, moving around and having a good laugh.The cross-body movement works to stimulate both sides of the brain, so when the exercise is over, your students are geared up to learn. 2.

Whatever you did in the previous lesson, do a quick revision with added rhythm. Get the class to sit in a circle.Slap your knees, clap your hands or snap your fingers… while going over what you did before. 3. Basically, this just simply feels good. When lethargy starts to appear, get your students on their feet and lead them in a series of stretching exercises. 4. 5 great ice-breakers in five days: #5 The super-quick speed dating mixer… Number five in my quest to complete five blog posts in five days (day one here, day two here, day three here and day four here)… The super-quick speed dating mixer… You probably know the idea of speed dating… A person talks to another person for 5 minutes and then moves on to the next person.

Why not use this in class to share ideas? What you need… A clock/watch and something to make noise withYou can provide questions if you want, but it’s not necessary (adults don’t have any trouble making conversation on their own)Enough people so they can mingle (good for large classes) How to… Ask learners to stand up, find partners and chat for 2 minutes with each other about anything interesting.When 2 minutes are up, give your sound signal, loud enough for everyone to hear.When they hear your signal, everyone finds a new partner and chat for the next 2 minutes. Tips… Your part… How would you adapt this? 5+8: A March blog roundup of great ELT posts. For this blog roundup I’ve slightly strayed from my format of finding one post from another great ELT blogger for every post that I wrote during the month.

Rest assured that this is purely down to laziness: I’ll return to the regular format for the April edition! So here we go with my famous five for March… 1. A beginner (me)’s guide to English as a lingua franca Alex Grevett’s first attempt to get to grips with the concept of. 2. 6 week challenge: Week 1 – Starting a class Gemma Lunn wanted to focus on the start of my classes as she believes that it’s imperative to set the right tone right from the start. 3. Gabrielle Jones gives us a list of ten activities which you can teach, using a smart phone or tablet computer. 4. Merve Oflaz talks about the problems she faced when Facebook decided that her blog was a source of SPAM and blocked it from being shared. 5. Beyza Yılmaz shares what she has learned from being an online learner: ‘So, is it easy to be an online learner? 1. 2. 3. 5. 7. 7+7: A February blog roundup of great ELT posts. So, here’s the deal: For every blog post I write during the month, I’ll feature one more from my favorites from around the Blogosphere.

I started this last month and people seemed to like it, so I plan to keep this going throughout 2013! This month I posted seven times, so I get to focus on seven posts from other great ELT bloggers. Posts for February 1. ELT Global Issues This is a cheeky way of getting you to read more posts! 2. I loved this because it is exactly the kind of post I used to enjoy writing (what happened to my poor blog?). 3. Rose Bard’s lovely post looks at the issue of power and how it’s effect on relationships between the teacher and the learners influences the use of English in class. 4. Rachael Roberts has written an excellent post, crammed with useful tips and ideas about error correction and its role in the way respond to written work. 5.

Adam Beale’s long awaited return to blogging sees him in a reflective mood, so drop by and leave him an encouraging comment! 6. 7. 9+9: A January blog roundup of great ELT posts. So, here’s the deal: For every blog post I write during the month, I’ll feature one more from my favorites from around the Blogosphere. I plan to keep this going throughout 2013, but I’ll probably need reminding by the end of February! This month I posted nine times, so I get to focus on nine posts from other great ELT bloggers. Here, in no particular order, are the posts that I enjoyed reading in January… My favourite blog posts from January There have been some great posts by ELT bloggers this month. Here is a selection of my favorites. 1. 2. Was it worth it? 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. My own blog posts from January I decided that I was going to blog on a twice-weekly basis throughout 2013. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. If I’ve missed your epic post from my list, and this is probable, given my inability to keep up with all the great ELT blogs out there, please feel free to help me correct my error by linking to your writing in the comments section below.

Have a great February! Problems remembering student names? You're not alone... and here's some advice. I first started this blog back in September, 2009 and now seems a good time to reflect on some of the things I’ve written about and to breathe new life into some of my old posts. Here’s an early post from the blog, slightly revamped and given a new lease of life now that another academic year is about to begin… For the longest time, remembering names was a huge problem for me. In my first classes, way back when I started teaching, I was still struggling after several weeks and it got quite embarrassing in the end. If you also suffer, you have to find strategies that work for you, as I eventually did. The view from the trenches 1. Initially you might find remembering student names a real problem, especially if you’ve just arrived in a country in which names are unfamiliar to you.

‘I’ve currently got 186 in total. ‘I have around 1100 students in 22 classes. ‘I have about 380 students, and I have been never very good with remembering names. 2. ‘I have one easy class. Yes, apparently. 3. 4. The nine golden rules of using games in the language classroom. 4 great reasons to use songs in English teaching. 4 reasons not to give our language learners any homework. 5 steps to using self-assessment in the classroom. 10 video clips that will help you to enter the world of Dogme ELT. 10 things we can learn about motivation from Good Guy Greg. 10 things we can learn about motivation from Good Guy Greg – part two. 10 reasons to use games in language teaching. 10 Ways of getting back into your teaching routine after a holiday – Part 1. 10 Ways of getting back into your teaching routine after a holiday – Part 2.

6 ways for teachers to tackle the post-holiday blues. Upcoming BC TeahingEnglish webinar on activities to stimulate creativity. A great selection of upcoming BC webinars. The keys to creative class activities: An online chat with Teaching English. Nominated for the BC ‘innovative teaching ideas’ blog award. My #RSCON4 presentation. My presentation at INGED 2013. How I prepare to give a workshop to teachers. My next speaking engagement: #ISTEKELT 2013. Reflections on #sswebcon: The 1st British Council Turkey Story Sharing Web Conference.

My next speaking engagement: The 1st international conference on outliers in ELT. How to get the most out of a #RSCON4. My Talk At RSCON4 - TheTeacherJames. Workshop recordings. The 'scene of the crime': a creative way of teaching modals of speculation. Just something we did in class: Modals of speculation. Using images to stimulate learner interest in their course books. Cheat! - TheTeacherJames. 1 great way of using technology to give feedback to learners. DO IT! Fostering creativity in exam classes. A cracking activity for stimulating creative thought that requires very little prep and can be used at any level. P Is For Bacon - TheTeacherJames. 5 great writing warm up activities... and what they lead to. 3 creative activities for practicing prepositions of place. A grammar question I'd like you to answer: when do you teach the third form of the verb?

Lesson plan – choosing a career. Favourite infographic for November: National Teacher’s Day around the World. Favourite infographic for October: What are the hardest languages to learn? Favourite infographic for August: A short history of the language learning lab. Favourite infographic for July: New detailed taxonomy wheel for teachers. Favourite infographic for May: Monolingual vs. Bilingual… Are 2 languages better than one? Favourite infographic for April: Tips for Becoming a Digital Teacher. Favourite infographic for March: Theories of learning. Contemplating who I am as a teacher: Plans for professional development. Reopening the case for learning styles | The Business English Experience. How dealing with conflict led me to success | The Business English Experience.

Coping with the death of a student. The ELT survival kit: 3 steps to keeping your whiteboard clean. Three different perspectives on contemporary ELT classrooms. Tech Trends in Higher Education. Does Twitter Help Teachers LEARN, GROW & “Get Off The Planet Faster”… (Pt 03 of 03) The Next “BIG THING” in #EDtech… Everything NO Single Teacher Should EVER Want to Know About EdTech, Digital Literacy and 21st Century LEARNing… Have you ever wondered why your group activities fail to inspire students? Want to know how class is going? Why not ask the people who count? Focus on portfolios: 4 advantages of alternative assessment. Three different perspectives on contemporary ELT classrooms.

9 great reasons to use posters in your language classroom. 4 great things to do with newspapers in the language classroom. 6 Useful tools for teaching and learning vocabulary. 3 fun online activities for practicing verb tenses. 4 great strategies for starting early morning classes. 5 creative activities for teaching adjectives. 7 tips to help your learners speak English fluently. 4 ways to quickly stimulate creativity in adult learners. Lessons in motivation – what do we really need? | The Business English Experience.

3 Ways to Make Language Learning Fun over the Holidays. 2 practical approaches to lesson planning. 6 great online sources for games and quizzes. Game-Based Learning 1.1. 10 downloadable lesson plans for teaching environmental issues and problems. 15 free resources for teaching classroom language. 31 resources for teaching the language of graphs, plus one website that allows you to make your own.

17 free resources for lessons about jobs and careers. 6 online activities for developing knowledge of subject-verb agreement. 6 things to consider when learning English in England. A huge bunch of resources for teaching the present perfect tense. 30 free resources for lessons about personality and feelings. 20 resources for teaching and practicing parts of speech.

Great games for the language classroom: Blockbusters. 15 more free resources for teaching classroom language. Ideas and resources for Halloween teaching. 3 fun ways of incorporating games into beginner level classes. A great geography app for teaching 'there is/are'